How Realtors and Rotarians are working to help Hana students

For yet another year, Maui Realtors and Rotarians came together to help students in Hana.

Last month, the Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset held a school supply drive for the second year in a row to help Hana High & Elementary School students. Island Sotheby’s International Realty agent Heidi Dollinger, R(S) is the current president of the club, which has a mission to boost quality of life in West Maui and beyond.

“We recognize there is a need in the community to help families and teachers with the cost of school supplies for education,” Dollinger told the Maui News.

Even though the Lahaina-based club is more than 50 miles from Hana, the club collected $500 and eight boxes of school supplies for students last year, the Maui News reported. The Rotary Club of Lahaina Sunset works to help Maui communities by engaging in meaningful, achievable projects within Rotary International five avenues of service: club service, community service, international service, vocational service and youth service.

“Our school supply drive serves the Hana school, one of the most remote and underserved schools on the island,” Dollinger told the Maui News. “Giving these students the tools they need to learn by making a small contribution is something we can do to help.”

But that’s not the only way the club seeks to improve life on Maui. The club has been working with the nonprofit Malama Maui Nui for the last three years to sponsor a recycling event at the Lahaina Cannery Mall, where residents can get rid of scrap metal, batteries, electronics, recyclables and old appliances, according to the Maui News.

“By giving Maui homeowners a place to dispose of and recycle these items, the program has reduced illegal dumping in rural areas and reduces the amount of waste in our landfill,” Dollinger told the Maui News. “We are looking for community volunteers, as well as sponsors, to support Malama Maui Nui in order to continue this event.”